A GROUP supporting Cumbria’s black and ethnic minorities met in Maryport to help immigrant workers – but nobody turned up.
Members of Awaz – an Asian word meaning voices – came to the town to offer their help to the growing band of immigrant workers and ethnic minorities. They were joined by police, local councillors and a translator.
The town was chosen as a meeting place for the group because it has 150 Lithuanians, who work mainly at Cumbrian Seafoods and Grants’ fish factories. More than 20 Bulgarians are also employed in the town by another fish factory, Brookside Products Limited.
hard to belive nobody in Maryports want's a job. But these typical greedy captalist factories or more than keen to bring in foreign workers - out of the goodness of their hearts of course!

But, during a two-hour drop in session on Monday, none of the immigrants turned up to access their services.

The meeting was the first of its kind for support group Awaz, set up just three months ago, and was held in Maryport specifically because of the large influx of immigrant workers.

The group knew there was a chance that no-one would turn up, but intend to learn from the experience and try again.
To try to reduce problems for immigrants, Maryport police adopt a pro-active approach by visiting Cumbrian Seafoods – the biggest employer of immigrants – each time there is a new intake.

“It’s really about making sure that the workers from abroad keep safe within the Maryport area,” said community safety officer Stuart Burgess.

“And also to make sure they are aware of some of the issues regarding British law which might be different.”

Brookside Products was the first factory in the town to employ immigrants when they brought Bulgarians over to work about three years ago.

The Bulgarian workers, who are all female, are employed under the government’s Sectors Based Scheme.

The scheme is open to all non-European Union nationals aged between 18 and 30.

Brookside’s resources director, Richard Hodgson, said that they decided to bring the workers over to Cumbria as they could not find enough suitable people to employ locally.

“We found in Maryport the employment market was getting more difficult every year,” said this typical 'Mr.Greed'.

“We are quite seasonal and we were getting the same old faces who we had sacked, laid off or who had left us.

Greedy Hodgson said that although his workers experienced some difficulties in the beginning, the Bulgarian workers have adapted well to local life.

He said: “They have got themselves integrated quite well.

“When we first brought them over we had them in one big house.

“But they like their independence and they move about.” (We'll bet they do!)